Think John has got the best advice with the A8 but I inherited my sons E320 D 2007 which is a truly lovely car but I’m glad I have a Mercedes specialist with over 40 years experience near me to sort out any potential problems .

Not sure if the A8 has air suspension ? But that’s something I could do without on an old car, but mine has no emissions stuff which often cause the most problems !

Steveieb's car is one of the best Mercs of recent years, facelift W211s are good news generally, whilst the 3 litre is a storming engine don't discount the 4 cyl Diesel out of hand whether badged 220 or 250 they're more capable than one might imagine, the local private hire chap i know from years ago used to run these (and the previous W210) to 400k miles with very little in the way of issues before moving them on, they were however looked after by the indy he mentions who's probably forgotten more about MBs than the dealership is ever likely to learn.

I was sceptical at first, but you may have done it! Great economy for a 2.0 petrol too!

Why would you avoid the diesels? Inherently bad, or just my low mileage? Reckon it's as roomy in the back as the BMW?

The diesels are prone to very expensive engine problems.

Is there an ideal saloon or estate for three in the back? Does it even exist? I just feel those jump seats in the MPV 7 seaters are unsafe and barely practical, hence me trying to for three in the back.

Maybe I'm looking for something that doesn't exist, certainly for my budget?

I thought about pushing the budget a bit (would mean a lot of other life compromises),

But this example came up too - think it's a slightly facelifed version?

www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202310293444864?s...a

But things like 19" wheels out me off as straight away relatively cheap to replace 17" will probably cost me 50 % more to replace etc.

On balance would you prefer less miles or a younger car? Also depreciation is a worry for me,

Would these Mazdas at this age, well maintained, hold value well?

Mazda is not a wealthy company relative to BMW for example. So the example you post doesn't really offer anything worth having over the earlier car, possibly better phone connectivity/infotainment(?). With a non age related plate, nobody would be able to tell which was the younger car.

The larger wheels would be a very definite negative for me. Not just because of the extra cost to replace but also how much more vulnerable they are on our pothole infested 3rd world roads, and the detrimental effect to both ride and road noise.

Finally, if depreciation is a big thing for you (frankly it shouldn't unless you only plan to keep it a year or two) then an older car is always going to be better than a younger one. So picking the older and cheaper car is a no-brainer.

One other point, that red colour of the older car looks spectacular but is apparently rather expensive if any bodywork needs done after a prang or whatever. Having said that, I'd still chose it over black myself.

I thought about pushing the budget a bit (would mean a lot of other life compromises),

But this example came up too - think it's a slightly facelifed version?

www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202310293444864?s...a

But things like 19" wheels out me off as straight away relatively cheap to replace 17" will probably cost me 50 % more to replace etc.

On balance would you prefer less miles or a younger car? Also depreciation is a worry for me,

Would these Mazdas at this age, well maintained, hold value well?

In a word, no, large Mazdas do not hold their prices well but in fairness they are no worse than anything similar. The gearbox will also limit its appe - people just don't want larger cars with manual gearboxes much these days. However, that may be an advantage when buying.

It looks a decent enough car although check who the warranty is with as Cazoo might not be around much longer.